Manu
08-09-2001, 11:58 AM
Not Just 'Woof'
Dog Device 'Translates' Barks
By Yuri Kageyama
The Associated Press
T O K Y O, Aug. 8 — A Japanese toymaker has the answer for dog-owners puzzled by their pets' bark — the Bowlingual.
Takara Co.'s handheld device, which is smaller than a credit card, deciphers growls and yelps into six feelings — frustration, alarm, self-expression, happiness, sadness and desire. Depending on the type of bark, words pop up on the device display, such as "I can't stand it," or "How boring."
Similar to computerized voice-recognition for the human voice, the Bowlingual matches barks with digital patterns of various barks preprogrammed into the device to translate pooch feelings into pronouncements like: "I'm arf-ully lonely. Please play with me more."
"It's offering a way of communicating with a living thing, an animal that's part of our everyday lives," Takara spokeswoman Yoko Watanabe said today.
Only in Japan, For Now
Bowlingual comes with a finger-size microphone that attaches to the dog's collar. The microphone and device are linked by an infrared beam. The 12,800 yen ($104) Bowlingual will go on sale in Japan in February and may be later exported, Takara said.
Samples of dogs barking in various emotional states as judged by animal behavior scientists and pet owners were collected for the program, said Jumpei Takahashi of Index Corp., which produced the software for Bowlingual.
But Bowlingual works only for dogs.
"It doesn't work on humans. If you shout a profanity in rage, it might tell you you're happy," he said.
Delving into the psyche of man's best friend, the toy produces a diary summing up a dog's day: "So many fun things today. What an ultra-happy day."
The company hopes to sell 200,000 Bowlingual toys in Japan next year. The machine is part of Takara's Dolittle Project for developing toys to talk with animals.
For those wishing to keep in touch with their animals' whims away from home, Takara is planning a service to read Bowlingual on mobile phones.
www.abcnews.com (http://www.abcnews.com)
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Manu Narayan
Dog Device 'Translates' Barks
By Yuri Kageyama
The Associated Press
T O K Y O, Aug. 8 — A Japanese toymaker has the answer for dog-owners puzzled by their pets' bark — the Bowlingual.
Takara Co.'s handheld device, which is smaller than a credit card, deciphers growls and yelps into six feelings — frustration, alarm, self-expression, happiness, sadness and desire. Depending on the type of bark, words pop up on the device display, such as "I can't stand it," or "How boring."
Similar to computerized voice-recognition for the human voice, the Bowlingual matches barks with digital patterns of various barks preprogrammed into the device to translate pooch feelings into pronouncements like: "I'm arf-ully lonely. Please play with me more."
"It's offering a way of communicating with a living thing, an animal that's part of our everyday lives," Takara spokeswoman Yoko Watanabe said today.
Only in Japan, For Now
Bowlingual comes with a finger-size microphone that attaches to the dog's collar. The microphone and device are linked by an infrared beam. The 12,800 yen ($104) Bowlingual will go on sale in Japan in February and may be later exported, Takara said.
Samples of dogs barking in various emotional states as judged by animal behavior scientists and pet owners were collected for the program, said Jumpei Takahashi of Index Corp., which produced the software for Bowlingual.
But Bowlingual works only for dogs.
"It doesn't work on humans. If you shout a profanity in rage, it might tell you you're happy," he said.
Delving into the psyche of man's best friend, the toy produces a diary summing up a dog's day: "So many fun things today. What an ultra-happy day."
The company hopes to sell 200,000 Bowlingual toys in Japan next year. The machine is part of Takara's Dolittle Project for developing toys to talk with animals.
For those wishing to keep in touch with their animals' whims away from home, Takara is planning a service to read Bowlingual on mobile phones.
www.abcnews.com (http://www.abcnews.com)
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Manu Narayan